Unpaid building workers hold contractors at site

Chinese workers building a resort on West Caicos island when the financial meltdown bankrupted the project demanded their wages yesterday and were reportedly holding Israeli contractors at the site. An Israeli at the scene, identified only as Moti, said he and about a dozen other Israelis were trapped and worried. "The workers have closed the port and aren't letting anyone out," he said. "They're not being violent ... but the situation can get worse. They're surrounding our living quarters." The government of the British overseas territory on the edge of the Atlantic said it was investigating.Associated Press in Providenciales

Sarkozy's legal complaint over spy chief's book

Nicolas Sarkozy's lawyer says the French president has lodged a legal complaint against the former head of an intelligence agency. The complaint follows the publication of diaries packed with accounts of the alleged dirty dealings of politicians. Thierry Herzog says he filed a complaint with the Paris prosecutor on behalf of Sarkozy, charging Yves Bertrand with invasion of privacy and malicious accusation, among other things. Bertrand was director of the powerful Renseignements Généraux spy agency for 12 years until 2004. His diaries were seized by judges recently.Associated Press in Paris

Talks to resolve clashes at border with Cambodia fail

Military commanders from Thailand and Cambodia agreed to hold joint border patrols yesterday in a move to defuse tensions after a border battle that left two soldiers dead. But after five hours of talks the generals failed to reach an agreement to pull back troops at the scene of the clashes near a 900-year-old temple site. Both governments are anxious to resolve a row over land near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple through peaceful negotiations. Thai villagers living nearby fled after government advice to leave amid fears of reprisals if the deadly border clashes escalated.Ian McKinnon in Bangkok

First mosque opened in east despite opposition

The first mosque built in Germany's formerly communist east has been opened despite a steady stream of protests. The Khadija mosque... built by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community... is a two-story white structure capped with a 13m-high silver dome in Berlin's Pankow district. Berlin's 70 existing mosques, mostly in the west, are tucked away in old warehouses or other nondescript buildings. Local residents and members of Germany's far-right National Democratic Party have staged protests since the plans were announced in 2006. There are approximately 3 million Muslims in Germany.Associated Press in Berlin

• This article was amended on Thursday October 23 2008. Above we described the Turks and Caicos Islands as being in the middle of the Atlantic. They are on the edge of the Atlantic, alongside the Caribbean. This has been changed.